Documentary proof: I am Belgian!
In answer to various questions asked on Facebook:
Victoria: yes, it was an easy procedure; once you've lived here for seven years (if you have an unlimited residence permit or authorisation to settle in Belgium) you just bring a translation of your birth certificate to the town hall and fill in a form. They charge you a tenner for giving you a new ID card (see illustration below, with my ID number and signature chopped out). There are various other more bureaucratic mechanisms, but it was pretty painless. See here for the full list, and here for the specific mechanism we used.
Svetlana: Obviously I understand why you, as a proud citizen of your own country, would never do such a thing!!!! But I explained it all here. The only practical difference in our lives is that voting in all elections is now compulsory.
Andy: Flemish. It doesn't say so officially, of course, but you'll notice that the card is basically in Dutch and English.
Tineke: I believe that it is an electoral district!!!!! (And I'm never home in time to watch that programme, but maybe I'll start buying the comics.)
Peter/Howard: Ha ha, very funny.
Catie/Eleanor/Amadeo/Mark: Thanks!
The photograph isn't very flattering, but such things rarely are!
Victoria: yes, it was an easy procedure; once you've lived here for seven years (if you have an unlimited residence permit or authorisation to settle in Belgium) you just bring a translation of your birth certificate to the town hall and fill in a form. They charge you a tenner for giving you a new ID card (see illustration below, with my ID number and signature chopped out). There are various other more bureaucratic mechanisms, but it was pretty painless. See here for the full list, and here for the specific mechanism we used.
Svetlana: Obviously I understand why you, as a proud citizen of your own country, would never do such a thing!!!! But I explained it all here. The only practical difference in our lives is that voting in all elections is now compulsory.
Andy: Flemish. It doesn't say so officially, of course, but you'll notice that the card is basically in Dutch and English.
Tineke: I believe that it is an electoral district!!!!! (And I'm never home in time to watch that programme, but maybe I'll start buying the comics.)
Peter/Howard: Ha ha, very funny.
Catie/Eleanor/Amadeo/Mark: Thanks!
The photograph isn't very flattering, but such things rarely are!